The Wisdom of Ecclesiastes: Tough Questions

I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But again, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, until I might see what was good for mortals to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself; I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house; I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I got singers, both men and women, and delights of the flesh, and many concubines.

So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what can the one do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.

The wise have eyes in their head,
    but fools walk in darkness.

Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them. Then I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also; why then have I been so very wise?” And I said to myself that this also is vanity. For there is no enduring remembrance of the wise or of fools, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How can the wise die just like fools? So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind. ~ Ecclesiastes 2:1-17

Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing. ~ Euripedes

Well, first of all - don't have any concubines, OK? (although we all seek pleasure in our own ways, don't we)?

Here we really get into questions about the meaning of life. Truth is, if you are a fool, you die.

If you are wise, you die.

So, what's the answer? Is it to hate life?

We'll keep reading on just as the teacher here in Ecclesiastes kept living. And perhaps as we get further, and dig deeper, the meanings will come to the fore.

Ecclesiastes for me is a good model for how to read scripture in general.  Do we take it at it's surface level, or do we dig deeper. Wrestle with it? Question it?

Even doubt it.

Yes, even doubt it. Just as the teacher here begins this book by doubting life.

Don't be afraid to ask the tough questions. Those are the questions that will draw you closer to God.

Prayer: Good and gracious God, remind me that answers can never come, if I don't ask the questions and face my doubts and fears. Amen.